Prose Edda Vanir

flanked boar hildisvini, vanr goddess freyja (right) (1895) lorenz frølich.

the vanir mentioned in prose edda books gylfaginning , skáldskaparmál. in chapter 23 of gylfaginning, enthroned figure of high relates njörðr raised in vanaheimr. high says during Æsir–vanir war, vanir sent njörðr hostage Æsir, , Æsir sent vanir god hœnir. sending of njörðr hostage resulted in peace agreement between Æsir , vanir.

chapter 35 provides information regarding goddess freyja, including 1 of names dis of vanir. in same chapter, high tells goddess gná rides horse hófvarpnir, , horse has ability ride through air , atop sea. high continues once vanir saw path rode through air , unnamed 1 of these vanir says, in verse (for no source provided):

flies there?
what fares there?
or moves through air?

gná responds:

fly not
though fare
and move through air
on hofvarpnir
the 1 whom hamskerpir got
with gardrofa.



a wild boar in northern europe. in prose edda, van-child listed name boars. both freyja , freyr attested accompanied boars.

in chapter 57 of skáldskaparmál, god bragi explains origin of poetry. bragi says origin of poetry lies in Æsir-vanir war. during peace conference held end war both Æsir , vanir formed truce spitting vat. when left, gods decided shouldn t poured out, rather kept symbol of peace, , contents made man; kvasir. kvasir later murdered dwarves, , blood mead of poetry made.

in chapter 6, poetic names njörðr provided, including descendant of vanir or van . reference, poem 11th century skald Þórðr sjáreksson provided njörðr described vanr. in chapter 7, poetic names freyr listed, including names reference association vanir; vanir god, descendant of vanir, , van. freyja repeatedly cited vanr. in chapter 20, of freyja s names listed , include van-deity , van-lady, , chapter 37 provides skaldic verse referring freyja van-bride. in chapter 75, names pigs provided, including van-child.